Why Your Monorepo CI Pipeline Runs Twice as Slow with NPM Workspaces

Episode 34 of The Web Development Podcast with Fexingo dives into a subtle but costly performance trap in monorepo setups: NPM workspaces' dependency hoisting logic that silently duplicates installs across CI cache layers. Lucas breaks down a real-world case where a 15-package monorepo's CI pipeline took 11 minutes per build—almost double what it should be—because npm's hoisting algorithm didn't play well with GitHub Actions' cache keys. He walks through the exact `npm ls` commands to detect the duplication, explains why pnpm's content-addressable store avoids the problem entirely, and shares a minimal `node_modules` traversal script to validate your own hoisting. Luna pushes back on whether the switch to pnpm is worth the migration cost, and Lucas offers a pragmatic middle path: pinning cache keys to the lockfile hash and using `--install-strategy=nested` to force local installations. The episode ends with a concrete checklist for any team running a monorepo on NPM today. #Monorepo #NPMWorkspaces #CIPipeline #DependencyHoisting #GitHubActions #CacheKeys #Pnpm #NodeModules #npmLs #Lockfile #InstallStrategy #BuildPerformance #DevOps #WebDev #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #WebDevelopmentPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo